Neutering: The usual questions

Why should I consider getting my cat/dog neutered?
If you have no intention of breeding, neutering is a very good idea. Neutering prevents pregnancy and with rescue centres over run with unwanted cats and dogs it is a very responsible decision to take which will offer your cat or dog lifelong benefits.

In female dogs it will:
• Prevent seasons
• Vastly reduce the risk of mammary tumours, the most common cancer in female dogs, especially if done when the dog is quite young.
• Eliminate the risk of pyometra commonly seen in entire bitches later in life. Pyometra is a life threatening illness where the womb becomes infected. The only guaranteed effective treatment for pyometra is to spey as an emergency. Sadly, we see this often and the risks are high often involving need for drips and hospitalisation not to mention the additional expense.
• prevent unwanted pregnancy

In male dogs it:
• will prevent them causing unwanted pregnancies
• can reduce dominant behaviour
• reduces the risk of some tumours and some male hormone linked diseases
• can reduce sex linked behaviour
• reduces problems associated with when local female dogs are in season such as howling or vagrancy

In female cats it will:
• prevent unwanted pregnancy
• prevent seasons
• reduce interest from any neighbouring tom cats

In male cats it:
• can reduce spraying
• can reduce wandering
• prevents them causing unwanted pregnancy
• reduce fighting and associated wounds

What exactly is neutering?
Neutering is a term used for both male and female pets.
In females we also call it speying and the technical term is a ovario-hysterectomy. Under general anaesthetic we shave off a section of fur in cats on their left flank and in dogs underneath along their midline. They then have their ovaries and womb surgically removed. Sometimes they have their stitches buried just below the skin and sometimes they will have traditional stitches that will need to be removed.
In males is is usually referred to as castration. The technical term is an orchidectomy. It is a less invasive procedure for the males as the surgery does not entail entering the abdominal cavity. The testicles are removed surgically through a small wound. In dogs we usually bury the sutures and in cats there are no sutures at all the hole is so small it will just heal naturally.

In all cases it is a procedure that can be carried out in a day and it requires a general anaesthetic.

What are the risks?
Any general anaesthetic does pose some risk but before any medication is administered a complete health check is carried out by the vet. If you are particularly concerned you can also have a pre operative blood screen carried out which will give us a good indication of if they are high or low risk.
Surgically the risks are low, the operations are routine.
Post operatively we will advise you as to how to care for your pet and assuming that advice is adhered to again the risks are low.

Will it hurt?
Veterinary pain relief is very much improved from years gone by and adequate pain relief is always given as a matter of best practice.

Is it expensive?
At Pearl Vet Group in St Georges, Telford we are currently offering neutering at a very competitive rate as follows:
Cat Spey or Castration £35 + Medication and buster collar
Dog Castration £75 + Medication and buster collar
Bitches weighing less than 40kg Spey £75 + Medication and buster collar
Bitches over 40kg £100 + Medication and buster collar
The cost of medication will be considerably less for a 4kg Chihuahua than it will be for a 35kg Labrador, which is why we can't quote exact prices.

Find out more by contacting Pearl Vets in Telford on 01952 610500

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